George Washington

George Washington

 

Director: David Gordon Green 

Written By: David Gordon Green 

Photography: Tim Orr 

Starring: Paul Schneider and Eddie Rouse

Year: 2000

Country: USA   

 George Washington is a tale of friendship and tragedy that matches that of Stand By Me.  

 This is the first feature from director David Gordon Green, known more recently for films like Pineapple Express and The Sitter. How he went from directing movies of this caliber, to making Your Highness I will never understand. 

 A drama set in a sparsely populated town in North Carolina that was opened to limited release in 2000. It follows a group of friends as they try to cover up and forget a tragic accident that happened to them. 

 There are no professional actors in the film, they're all locals or people who David Gordon Green knew personally. Some of the actors like Paul Schneider and Eddie Rouse went on to do other things, but for most it was their first and only acting experience, which shouldn't come as a surprise, a lot of the dialogue in the film does feel mannered. This doesn't ruin the film, once you're captivated by its story, you don't even notice. 

 The screenplay is really strong, especially in dialogue. It does have that pretentiousness that you get with all indie movies, but it's a good type pretentiousness. 

The films characters, although idiosyncratic,all feel completely real and relateable. 

 For a movie set in the American South that has a mix of Caucasian and African-American characters, you're waiting for it at any minutes to turn into Do The Right Thing, but it never does.  In fact, race is never brought up at all. It makes for a pleasant change to see a movie that has such a multiracial cast that doesn't feel the need to make a comment on race relations. Also a movie that shows the South in a positive light.

 George Washington made me smile and it nearly brought me to tears. It's masterly made and touchingly sentimental. It's a gem in independent cinema.   

Score 5/5